Where Did You Go?
by ZachaRicO
Summary: Ash is struggling with unfamiliar feelings for a friend of his, so he goes to an old rival in the hopes of finding answers. Though things do get cleared up, one question remains unanswered: Where did she go? One-sided Pearlshipping and implied Ikarishipping.


**Well, this WAS supposed to be another rant, but it kinda evolved beyond my original purpose. Oh, well.**

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><p>Paul sat in front of his TV with his eyes glued to the very active screen. It was the news recapping what went down at the Lily of the Valley Conference. There was nothing they said that he didn't already know, but he didn't care. He was just bored and wanted something - anything - to keep him occupied.<p>

He didn't mind them talking about his loss to his rival. Even though they'd been rivals all throughout their Sinnoh journey, this loss - the only one he'd suffered against this trainer - while not definitive, did bring an end to the bitterness between them, making their rivalry a bit more friendly than hostile.

Truth be told, he now realized that deep down inside, underneath all the bitterness and callousness, he really actually respected the sixteen-year-old trainer. It was strange to think about, but it didn't make him cringe. A slight smile crossed his face as his eyes blinked at the light from his screen.

A rapping at his door caused his train of thought to cease. He huffed, slightly irritated, and stood up to answer it. _This better be important_ he thought.

His surprise was hardly two sizes too small when he saw the familiar raven-haired teen standing on his doorstep, his best friend perched on his usual spot on his shoulder. His face, while usually bright on a day like this, was unusually serious, though there was no anger in his brown eyes.

Paul blinked. "Ash?" he said.

"Can we talk?" the trainer replied, expression unchanging.

Curious as to what Ash was doing here when he would usually be preparing to journey to another region, Paul obliged, beckoning him in. "Could I, uh...get you anything?"

"Nah," Ash shook his head. "I'm not really that hungry."

Paul's eyes widened. He may not have known Ash as well as some people, but if there was one thing he knew, he knew he was a big eater.

"You sure?" he repeated, just to make sure.

"Yeah."

With a shrug, he guided him into the living room where the TV was still on, and they sat down in front of it. "Watching the reruns?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Paul nodded.

"Trying to figure out how you lost to me?" his rival joked, that familiar grin popping onto his face. Paul started at this, mentally taking in just how drastically different it was from his demeanor when he stepped in. _Something must be up_ he thought.

"Eh, you just got lucky," he smirked, pretending to be arrogant.

"I beg to -"

"Hey, chill," Paul chuckled. "I was kidding."

Ash blinked a moment, then chuckled as well. Pikachu was napping by the window.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

Ash looked up, his demeanor returning to a serious tone. "Dawn."

Paul started on hearing that. "Dawn?" Dawn was his travelling companion throughout Sinnoh. She was an energetic coordinator, much like one of his previous travelling companions, so they got along well. In fact, he wasn't sure if it was his imagination or what - he never thought Ash would be the type to get into this - but if he didn't know better, he'd say the two's friendship was developing into something slightly deeper. "What about her?"

"When was the last time you saw her?"

Paul was puzzled. "At the Conference. Why do you ask?"

"Because of this," Ash replied, whipping out a small piece of paper. Paul took it and read it:

_Ash,_

_I hope you're doing well. I'm struggling right now. Please contact me. If you can't, I'll go see Paul._

_Dawn_

Paul blinked, puzzled. "Huh? What...when did you get this?"

"I don't know," Ash admitted, his face falling. "I was going through my belongings the other day to get ready for a new journey, and I found it under my dresser. It must've slipped under there when I unknowingly got it. I quickly set out to find her, but when I got here, her mother told me she hadn't been around. You were my next stop."

Paul looked at the note, concern in his eyes. "That's odd."

"I thought she'd come to you because -" Ash started, but he suddenly stopped as though something got caught in his throat.

"Go on," Paul nodded, but to his confusion, Ash simply stood up and shrugged it off, walking out and mumbling something unintelligible, leaving his rival even more confused. Thinking quickly, he stood up and stopped Ash from leaving, putting a firm hand on his shoulder. "Ash...why did you think she came here?"

"What is it to you?" Ash replied, his hat shading his eyes. His tone wasn't bitter or cold, but more resigned than anything.

"It's not too big a deal, is it?" Paul wondered. Ash didn't reply. Then it hit him. _Does he really? Of all the stinkers._ He smirked slightly at that thought, then recomposed himself for what he said next:

"Do you...like her?"

Ash looked up, his revealed eyes turned auburn. "Of...course. She was my friend, I -"

"No no no," Paul stopped him. "I mean...do you _like_ her?" Ash raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Come on, it's not that complicated," he rolled his eyes. When Ash didn't speak, he groaned. _Just how dense can this kid be?!_ "Do you have a crush on her?!"

That caught Ash off-guard. He stiffened a moment, but then relaxed again. "No. I just...well, when we first started out, I got to know her, and we became good friends. She was always so supportive at my gym battles, with that cheerleader outfit and whatnot. Sheesh, talk about going the extra mile!" He smirked slightly as he remembered this, earning a chuckle from Paul as well. "As time went on, however, I started to look at her differently. I noticed things about her that I didn't notice before, like her nice hair, her elegance at contests...heck, even her figure in and of itself!" He cringed after saying that. "Ugh, I'm sorry. That came out wrong."

Paul just chuckled. _He is so done_ he thought.

"Anyways, when I left Sinnoh, I had this strange feeling that I've only had once before, and that was when my friends from Hoenn left to go on their own journey. It wasn't as strong as it was back then, but I noticed it more than I did then." He looked up at Paul a moment, his eyes a glimmering auburn. "She's not like other girls I've met. She was always so supportive, always wanting to spend time together. I loved that about her, and it made me want to be a better friend, too."

When he was done, he just stood there in silence for a moment while Paul took it all in. Then he invited Ash back in and sat him down while he brought him some cookies. The downcast trainer, seeing nothing better to do, took one and ate it, smiling slightly as he chewed and thanking Paul for the food.

"You've got a real crush going on there, Ash," was his reply.

Ash looked up, eyes wide. "I told you, I don't have a crush on her."

"And I told you that you do," he smirked. "Everything you said about how you look at Dawn and feel about her...it had 'crush' written all over it."

Ash blinked in confusion. "Wait...but I never...what…"

Paul rolled his eyes, smirking to himself. "Given that you know next to nothing about love and girls, I should probably take it on myself to inform you that you do, in fact, have a crush on Dawn. You think she's pretty, you like her personality, and you miss her. Add those together, and it spells 'crush.'"

Ash took this in a moment, then pondered it as though trying to understand it. After a moment, he looked up again. "I couldn't find all the letters in there, though. Are you sure -?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Paul exclaimed in shock. "It was a figure of speech, Ash! What I'm saying is that the way you feel about Dawn is how a guy feels about a girl when he has a crush on her!"

Ash blinked, then nodded in understanding. "So...you really mean that? I really have a crush on Dawn?"

"Yes," Paul nodded.

Ash shook his head. "Well, I'm sorry, but I really don't think she feels the same way."

Paul blinked. _So now he's a love expert, is he?_ "What makes you say that?"

"Even though she told me that I was probably her best friend, she's talked a lot about you whenever you're not around. She thinks that under that cold, hard exterior you showed whenever we ran into you, you were really a good guy. I know she didn't always make that clear, but she really did."

Paul looked intrigued, a slight blush on his face. "Really?"

"Yeah. When she talked about coming to Kanto with Brock and me, she said she wasn't sure. I think that's because she wanted to be with you."

Paul's face heated up on hearing this. _She...no, she can't possibly like me...not after how I treated them. How could she? I thought she and Ash thought the same way about me!_

"I'm pretty sure she likes you, Paul," Ash sighed, voice shaking slightly.

Paul could hardly believe his ears. He looked at Ash's downcast figure and sighed sadly. "Ash...why would she like me? Does she really see something in me that no one else does?"

"Yeah, she does," Ash nodded. "She'd probably choose you over me...and forget all about me." With that, put his head in his hands.

"Now you stop right there, Ash Ketchum," Paul snapped. "You were as good a friend to her as she was to you. If I had a friend like that, I would never forget them."

Ash looked up, trying to believe what his rival was saying. "Yeah...I guess."

Paul put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. If what you're saying is true, then I know it won't change the way she thinks about you. You're probably the best friend anyone could ask for. I know I'll never forget you...and neither will she."

Ash sighed. This was slightly comforting, though not much. "Thanks," he mutter half-heartedly, shifting in his seat. As he did, he flinched slightly, then dug into his pocket, a curious look on his face. Then he pulled out a trinket of sorts.

Paul was surprised. "A ribbon?"

"You could say that," Ash nodded, smiling slightly. It was actually a half-ribbon, colored pink with white fringe, a half-medal resembling the sun adorning it.

"Where did you get it?"

"My friend from Hoenn, May, and I tied for this sometime during our adventure in Kanto. We decided to take a break from our main adventure to participate in an unofficial contest in Terracotta Town. She and I were the finalists: my Sceptile vs. her Blaziken. In the end, we tied."

Paul's eyes widened. "Wow...really? That's incredible!"

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "I taught her everything she knows, so that's no surprise. In any case, we decided to split the ribbon in half with Sceptile's Leaf Blade." He looked at it nostalgically. "I carry it everywhere I go as a reminder that she's always with me. We're actually going to meet up in a little while."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We promised each other before we went our separate ways that we would always get together every now and again."

Paul smiled slightly. "You miss her, too?"

"Yeah, I do," he nodded, standing up while Pikachu perched himself at his place. "Well, thanks for talking to me. I guess I'll see you around...and let me know if you hear from Dawn, okay?"

"Will, do," Paul nodded, seeing him out. "Take care of yourself."

"You, too," Ash smiled back, and with that, he departed.

Paul looked at the note Dawn gave Ash, a confused expression on his face. "Dawn," he whispered, eyes softer than they'd ever been. "Where are you?"

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><p>Heat.<p>

Unbearable heat.

The world around him was filled with blistering heat. Destruction, chaos, despair, calamity...it was all he could see and feel as he fought day in and day out to keep his world safe.

Fire blazed.

He extinguished it.

Lightning flashed.

He neutralized it.

Ice froze.

He melted it.

This was his routine, day in and day out. Though he wasn't one to give up, he was growing sick of this. It never ended.

A loud shriek.

He whirled around to face his all-too familiar foe. It charged him. He dodged. Another charged him. He dodged, but the last of them managed to knock him to the ground, out of commission long enough for them to finish him off. He shut his eyes, waiting for the impact.

It never came. Instead, a shriek of annoyance pierced his ears. He looked up and saw a slew of Pokemon fighting tooth and nail against the beasts that accosted him. Eventually, they fled, leaving him alone while the Pokemon disappeared.

"Are you all right?"

He looked up, puzzled. A girl stood over him, extending her hand to him. He took it and stood up.

"Yes," he replied. "Thank you, but...why did you do that?"

"I've been doing it for a while," she replied. "I'm glad I'm not alone, though."

"Yeah," he nodded. Though he didn't say it, he agreed with her.

"Oh, by the way," she smiled, extending her hand again, "I'm Dawn."

He looked up with his bright yellow eyes and smiled slightly, taking it and shaking it while introducing himself:

"Silver."

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><p><strong>Yeah, so...Ash's predicament. That's all I'll say about this.<strong>

**Anyways, I hope those of you who are well-versed with what I do know what that last scene was about.**

**Also, while I am an Advanceshipper, I usually don't have anything against other pairings. Normally, with a story like this, I'd use Advanceshipping as the premise, but I've noticed that doing that too much ends up making things very repetitive and kind of unoriginal. That being said, I want to expand my horizons so that my writing can be more dynamic.**

**More on that in the near future! Feel free to R&R!**


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